


There’s No Place Like Home

by Val_Creative



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Ben Hargreeves Lives, Developing Relationship, Episode Related, Episode: s02e10 The End of Something, Explicit Language, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Humor, Season/Series 02, Team Bonding, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:02:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25922518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Val_Creative/pseuds/Val_Creative
Summary: They decide to play a game in the barn while waiting for Five to get the suitcase ready.
Relationships: Allison & Ben & Diego & Number Five | The Boy & Klaus & Luther & Vanya, Number Five | The Boy/Allison/Ben/Diego/Klaus/Luther/Vanya
Comments: 28
Kudos: 133





	There’s No Place Like Home

**Author's Note:**

> MY FAVES ARE DUMB AS HELL AND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH 💖💖💖 IT'S ALL OF THEM. THEY'RE ALL MY FAVES. ANY THOUGHTS/COMMENTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR THE SHEER CHAOS OF IT ALL.

*

Allison steps out into the dusk, breathing in. Breathing out.

This farm goes on for miles, covered in gravel and pastures and woods. Tire tracks in the muddy, yellow-green grass. Fences nailed together with long beams of wood glowing in the late sun. Off in the distance, Allison catches a view of two or three chickens perched on an outdoor bench-table. They cluck among themselves, minding their own business unlike people.

She stares down to Vanya hunched by herself, while Diego marches down towards the gravel road. Vanya's hands tuck firmly between her thighs. Allison remembers Vanya doing that as a kid to warm her hands. Or if she felt apprehensive.

"How are you…?"

Allison seats herself on a painted porch-step right beside Vanya. She folds her legs primly, crossing her ankles.

Like how Dad taught her.

Maybe she _IS_ a Daddy's girl, Allison considers with a wince. She rumored Vanya. She was only a child, but Allison used her powers on Vanya when Dad asked. Her little eyes glazed over with white. Vanya forgot she was special.

"I'm okay," Vanya says, quiet and throaty. She peeks to Allison. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

Allison's hand raises to her neck. Under her fingertips, she can feel the light swelling of her scar.

It terrified the hell out of her that Lila copied her powers. Being helpless in that way. Luther's quick instincts saved her. His lips on hers, filling Allison's mouth with oxygen, reminding her that he was here with her… she was here… _she was gonna be okay_ …

Luther held her with the same sweet eagerness from their childhood. When they admired every part of each other.

Allison's face warms.

"I know we haven't gotten a chance to talk about… how we left everything last time…" Allison steels herself for this conversation, hitching her shoulders and looking expectantly into Vanya's eyes narrowing. "Vanya, I don't know where to start…"

High above them, it's all soft, molten colors with dusty blue clouds ringed in pink.

Vanya shakes her head incredulously.

"… It took me a while to get it all back," she blurts out.

Allison hesitates, lips flattening.

"I'm still angry," Vanya confesses.

Her knuckles whiten as Vanya's hands tighten together, sitting in her lap now.

"I lost my memories, but I was still me… _I was still me_ … even when I didn't want to remember a month ago. Dad still manipulated me and drugged me and locked me in an underground bunker. He kept secrets. He made you part of that…"

It feels like it's hard to breathe again. Allison gulps faintly for air.

"Everyone still treated me like I was nothing… I ended up with a serial killer to get something even close to validation." A low, disbelieving noise escapes Vanya's lips. "Luther still choked me out and locked me in a bunker like Dad did. I lost control. The world ended because of me."

"Vanya…"

Allison can see her struggling with this pain and resentment. Her trauma. They all share it from growing up under Sir Reginald Hargreeves's ever-watchful and ever-scornful gaze. Vanya's face hardens, her words softly accusing. "Then when I wasn't me… _suddenly_ … I was included. You guys still held what happened against me, but as long as I was oblivious to it… I was forgiven."

"Vanya, you know that's not true…"

"Look me in the eye and tell me that Diego and Luther would have gone along with it," Vanya says dully.

Allison's lashes clump with moisture. Goddammit. She doesn't have an answer.

"So that's it then…?" Allison whispers. "You hate us?"

"No. I don't."

Vanya gently touches one of Allison's hands.

"I thought I did for a long time… but I know I've done things I'm not proud of either, Allison."

The icy-brittle frustration melts out of Allison. She feels Vanya shift Allison's hand closer to herself, holding her, rubbing those slender, brown fingers against her pale ones thoughtfully. "Like hurting you," Vanya admits, staring ruefully up at her.

Allison's opposite hand clutches to her own neck.

Tears stream down her face.

Vanya's eyes water. She smiles toothily until Vanya's dimples pop into existence.

Allison loved seeing them. She always did. It meant that Vanya, forced to be timid and silent for most of her life, didn't feel that way around her. Vanya had to learn to keep her head down. Allison had to learn to speak up loud and clear.

"Maybe it's time that we talk it out, Allison… we can figure out where we are…"

"I want that…" Allison exhales, grinning beautifully and nodding.

_More than anything._

When they get home — when they've fixed the timeline and settled — Allison plans to bring Vanya with her.

Wherever she's going, Vanya goes.

Patrick will surrender Claire to her after the judge's ruling, if she's lucky, and they fly out of the country. Go to the _Hotel Le Marechal_ in Colmar, France. They could dine on chocolate-drizzled raspberries and baguette sandwiches at the _A l'Echevin_. Nod off while watching old romance films together. Claire hasn't stopped asking to meet her Auntie Vanya.

Allison hugs her, as Vanya's arms encircle her. She strokes Vanya's hair, rocking them and kissing her head. It feels good to have Vanya. The _real_ Vanya. Lovely in her plainness, and brave. So brave. Allison rests her lips to the crest of Vanya's hair.

Two of the Umbrella Academy wander in front of them.

Klaus pushes Ben in a rusted wheelbarrow, with Ben's legs dangling out uselessly.

"Are we interrupting?" Klaus drawls.

"Yes," Allison says grumbling, slowly letting go of Vanya. The other woman lets out a chuckle, wiping under her eyes with the backs of her wrists. In Ben's hands, there's a mountain of rotted crab-apples. He lets them tumble onto himself.

"Everyone's heading to the barn," Ben tells them, gripping the rusted sides. "You coming?"

It's so good to see Ben again. To actually _see_ him.

Klaus lied, of course, about Ben not ending up in the timeline with him.

She has no idea how Ben manifested _back to life_ as the same age as Klaus after saving Vanya and all of Dallas. He's wearing a black leather jacket and hoodie that Allison recognizes from Diego's closet. Back when they were sixteen or seventeen.

She's missed him. Nobody really knows how to tell Ben or what to do.

(Typical of the Umbrella Academy.)

"I'll meet you there, Ben," Allison murmurs.

Ben gazes to her, smiling fondly.

"Hop in, Vanny!" Klaus pats the hand-grips to Carl's wheelbarrow. "We got plenty of room!"

"There's literally no room," Ben declares, craning his neck to look at Klaus. Allison has to agree, seeing that he barely fits on his own, and Klaus hisses in Ben's direction. Vanya stands up on the porch, jamming her hands into her coat-pockets.

"I'll pass," she replies, smirking. "But thanks, Klaus."

"Your loss!"

Klaus adjusts the wheelbarrow for a run, taking off and screeching _"YEEE-HHHAWW!"_ while Ben hollers. They pass by Luther hunkering to the barn, and Ben gets encouraged by Klaus to pelt a complaining Luther with a few of the rotted crab-apples.

"Jesus," Allison mutters, standing with Vanya and watching in halfhearted amusement.

"Should we—"

They cringe when Ben is dumped out of the wheelbarrow and onto the ground. Klaus cackles. He accidentally trips over the wheelbarrow itself, landing halfway inside. Luther rolls his eyes, grabbing the back of Klaus's jacket and helping him upright.

"—you know what, never mind," Vanya announces.

*

Inside the barn, Diego plants a foot to a toolbox and laces up his boot.

"Where's Five?" he asks gruffly when everyone wanders in.

Luther shrugs. "Five says the suitcase needs an adjustment before we leave."

"What about… the two hundred other suitcases out in the field? Don't any of them work like Herb said?" Allison points out, folding her arms under her wide, dark sleeves. Cracks of fading light stream through the barn's walls.

"Seven hundred and eleven. Apparently." Luther's face awkwardly strains into a smile. "And this one is our best shot."

Diego scoffs, kicking a pile of hay.

"While we wait…" Klaus snatches up a dirtied glass bottle and presents it a flourish. "How about a game?"

"Spin The Bottle? Really?"

A mischievous-looking Klaus taps Ben's nose, getting his hand slapped away.

"No, Benny Boy. It's called Kiss Or Poke," he says, whirling to face everyone. "One of Destiny's Children came up with it back in Mexico. You spin the bottle, right… _THEN_ when it lands on someone… you either kiss them or poke them."

Allison lifts an eyebrow. Vanya blinks, confused.

"Y'know!" Klaus merrily elaborates to their silence, _"Poke 'em with your dick!"_

A collective groan.

"I nominate punching," Diego speaks up, becoming irritated.

Luther puts up a humongous arm. "Second," he agrees.

"Okay. It's decided." Diego walks by, yanking the bottle from Klaus's fingers. Klaus sighs, plopping down. "Ground rules: No punches below the waist. No breaking bones. No aiming for the eye-sockets. Make it a clean hit."

"Who died and made you the boss?"

"How about not bruising my gorgeous face?" Klaus murmurs beside Allison, fluffing his curls. He stretches out his legs. "I need it." There's a vacant spot between him and Diego, but Allison doesn't imagine Five joining them.

Diego ignores him and a stern-eyed Allison. "You get one punch for your turn—so make it count. Got it?"

"How about fighting back?"

"You can defend yourself, yeah," he says to Luther. "Just without you punching back."

Vanya sits between Ben and Luther. "Honestly… anything to get my mind off Sissy right now," she confesses.

"And Dave." Klaus, frowning moodily, touches over his steel dog-tags.

"And Lila." Diego stares off towards the barn's entrance, heartbroken.

"And Jill." Ben looks at Klaus in clear disappointment.

"Ray," Allison mumbles, her jaw visibly clenching up. She's not gonna cry. Not again. "And Ray."

Diego drops the bottle rattling onto to the hay-littered ground. She reaches for it, but Diego gets there first. He spins, and they tense up in anticipation. Hilariously enough, the beer bottle slows and points to Allison.

Allison snorts. "Still mad about the face-punch?"

There's the usual shit-eating grin on him. Diego leans over, crawling up to meet her, and kisses her lips dryly. It's nothing more than a peck. For a moment, she can feel the graze of his dark scruff. "Nothing but love, sis," Diego quips.

She mocks a light laugh.

Klaus yawns, tilting his head back against a hay-bale.

With a new and enthusiastic spin from Allison, the bottle lands on Vanya.

"Let's go," Vanya says teasingly. "It's you and me." She clumsily holds up her fists.

Allison knows Vanya never got the same Academy training as the rest of them. Vanya could no more defend herself in a physical fight than Allison could work a violin. She crawls over the dirt and hay to a brightly smiling Vanya, giggling with her.

_(Breathing in.)_

Their mouths smack together. Allison tastes the bitter cold and a hint of something else entirely… _atmospheric?_ … _electric?_ …

_(Breathing out.)_

She pulls away, and there's no silver-glow ringing around Vanya's irises. Thankfully.

Vanya attempts a spin.

It's Ben.

Diego mutters, crossing his arms, and Ben looks between him and Vanya.

"I'm fine with it," he says, holding out his arm for Vanya looking doubtful and horrified. Of all things, Allison couldn't think of punching Ben either. Not now. "It's been half a day and nobody else has tried to touch me besides Klaus. I'll take anything at this point."

Klaus smirks, nibbling on a piece of straw. "How about a de-virginizing, Benerino?"

"I would rather eat dirt," Ben monotones. He stares offhandedly to Klaus who mimes drawing a heart in the air with his forefingers and winks coyly. Ben only smirks too and looks away with a gentle head-shake.

_"Ben…"_

Vanya's lips quiver.

"You saved me, Vanya," Ben insists, scooting sideways and turning next to her. Allison remembers that tenderness from Ben. He was always the kindest out of all of them. Especially to Vanya. "I'm here. I'm alive now and I wouldn't be if it wasn't for you."

She inhales, sniffling and trying to smile widely through the tears.

"Even if you weren't trying to save me… I would give my life for you anyway, Ben…"

Allison lowers her face, scrubbing over a wet eyelid.

"You didn't have to, Vanya," he whispers. "We can call it even. Now punch me." Vanya bursts out laughing, high and watery. She obeys, weakly punching Ben's arm. Ben laughs with her, one-arm hugging Vanya until she sinks against him in relief.

"God, you all suck," Klaus mutters.

Ben spins onto Diego. There's a moment of silence before Diego shrugs wryly and leans in from Ben's left side.

To her surprise, Diego cups Ben's face like he's familiar with the gesture.

 _Overly_ familiar.

Allison is pretty sure that Ben is supposed to be the one kissing him, but nobody really cares. Diego had a soft spot for Ben for a long time. His wrath, towards Dad, towards them and everything else, magnified after Ben's death, making him unpleasant and aggressive and volatile.

The bottle spins out of Diego's hands, aiming for Luther.

"Finally!" Klaus claps gleefully, spitting out his piece of straw. "Hit him! _HIT HIM!"_

With a energy-blue blink, Five appears into Sissy's barn. He's carrying a screwdriver.

"Guys, I'm almost done with the temporal mechanisms—"

He trails off when Diego punches Luther in the throat, leaving him semi-wheezing.

Both men wrestle in the middle of a circle. Allison shouts their names.

"Hey, F _iiiii_ ve!" Klaus gazes up to him, patting the empty spot on his right. Grunting and violent cursing surround them. The sound of Luther kicking a snarling Diego fills their eardrums. "We're playing Kiss Or _Fight Each Other To The Death_! Why don't you join us?"

Five eyes all of them, his lip curling.

"… Idiots," he mutters.

Klaus lurches for one of Five's legs when he pivots at the heel. He manages to Five tug down. Allison narrowly avoids Five's hand smacking her in the face as he flails. "This should be good," Diego says leering, already back in his original position.

Luther glares at him, rubbing his pink-swollen cheek.

"Here! Here!" Five, glaring like Luther, mutters something venomously as Klaus waves for the bottle. "Let Five do a spin!"

_"Piss off."_

"I'll spin for you!" Klaus volunteers, plucking the beer bottle from Vanya's fingers.

And it slows on Vanya.

Things go hush.

Ben and Luther's eyes widen. Diego mouths _oh boy!_ and scratches his nape. Allison elbows a snickering Klaus. She's a little astonished that Five hasn't blinked himself out of this mess. He's never put up with the shenanigans before.

"It's okay—" Vanya excuses herself, unfolding her legs to get up. "This is a dumb game anyway—"

"Vanya," Five mumbles.

"I should check if I locked the front gate—"

"Vanya, you did. Remember?" He sounds unusually soft.

Vanya meets his eyes, huffing and furrowing her brows. There's a reluctant shyness to her. Five does that. Allison has glimpsed those complicated emotions between Vanya and Five on more than one occasion before Five vanished.

They whispered to each other at breakfast, and to Ben, sharing little inside jokes that frustrated Allison.

She couldn't help it.

Vanya double-checked Five's bandages. He was the audience while Vanya performed her solos. She was the only one Five listened to when his rage blew up. Five lied for Vanya when Pogo asked where she was (and she was _definitely_ sneaking around). Nobody took Five vanishing harder than Dad and Vanya. She waited up for Five every night. Hoping he was safe.

They're far apart so Allison half-expects him to blink. Five pushes himself up instead, walking over to a Vanya.

"… we for round two?"

Five's lips twitch.

"You know I can't take you, Van," he mutters, stooping over to kiss her temple. A simple, close-mouthed kiss.

"You could," Vanya says faintly.

She says it like this is her crux, and maybe it is.

Despite how powerful Vanya is, they all know Five's blood-drenched history. His skills in assassination. How he can manipulate and affect time. They're fairly matched. Neither of them have bothered to pull their gazes from each other, Allison realizes.

His forehead wrinkles.

"I could," Five agrees, nodding solemnly. "That doesn't mean I want to."

Vanya's expression softens. She pushes up on her hands slightly, touching her lips briefly to his.

Five grunts, turning away and reddening.

"What the _HELL_ are you looking at?" he barks loudly at Diego. The other man puts his hands up, chuckling.

Surrounding himself in pulsating blue energy, Five vanishes out of existence.

"My turn!" Klaus shouts.

"The rules are out the window, huh?"

He sticks his tongue out at Allison. "Vanya, you can owe me a kiss later."

Vanya raises an eyebrow, folding her hands and leaning forward. "What makes you think I was gonna kiss you?" she asks. Klaus makes an almost shrill but delighted noise at her haughty look. Allison rolls her eyes, grinning.

"Oho… you're so naah~ _aah_ ~teeeee~…"

"You either spin," Diego warns, "or I punch you myself, Klaus."

The beer bottle clatters and swings halfway between Diego and Ben. Luther gawks.

Allison says nothing when Diego nudges the still swinging object with his trajectory manipulation where he wants it. Seems that only her and Ben notice this. Ben stares outright at an apologetic Diego clapping his shoulder as if deeply betrayed.

"No," Ben exclaims, thrusting a finger. He sees Klaus smile wickedly, crawling to him on hands and knees. "Stay the hell away."

_"Shhhh…"_

Ben scrambles to his feet, narrowly avoiding Klaus's grabby hands. He takes off. Klaus chases after him, whining for his attention. "So… does anyone have plans when we get back…?" Allison says conversationally, facing everyone else.

There's noises of thudding and footsteps. Hay going everywhere. Metal buckets falling

"Hot shower," Diego mumbles, thumbing one of his knives. "Gonna order a steak dinner from Montgomery's."

Vanya shrugs wordlessly when a curious Allison glances to her.

Behind her, Klaus squawks and grits out Ben's name, having his face roughly shoved away by Ben's hands. His arms wrap around Ben's middle. Ben trips him, and ends up falling down with him. They cry out, slamming to the ground harshly.

Luther sighs.

"If the Academy is still standing… maybe we should offer up the deeds and sell everything we don't need," he says.

"Really?" Vanya asks, intrigued.

"What's the point of holding onto forty-two bedrooms and nineteen bathrooms?" Luther frowns. "The City could use the Academy's property for temporary housing. Foster care agencies or something. We already have Dad's inheritance."

"That's… actually a nice idea, Luther," Allison declares, smiling.

His cheeks flush. "Being homeless really put things into perspective," Luther admits, staring down as if bashful.

"I hear you."

"Not to change the subject but…" Diego trails off, looking around cautiously from his sitting position. "Where did they go…?"

He's right.

It's gotten very quiet.

Allison straightens up, climbing to her feet. There's no sign of Ben or Klaus, or anywhere near where they fell. She heads over to the furthermost and gigantic stacks of hay while Diego and Vanya wander near the rafters. Luther pokes his head outside.

There's so many bullets scattered around. Allison toes them aside, grimacing. Past the haystack wall, she spots an unlit corner.

_Oh boy…_

Ben, half-crouching over Klaus, pins one of Klaus's wrists down and bends over. Their opening mouths crash together. Yellow hay sticks out of Ben's hair. Klaus writhes under him, moaning softly, happily. Allison runs her hands over her face.

"Did you find 'em?"

Diego sprints over as she exits the cornered-off area.

"Yep," Allison whispers, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "Over here."

"Then why are you walking away…?"

"They're _poking_."

"Shut up," Diego blurts out, clasping her arm. Stupefaction floods his voice. "No, they're not. You're full of shit."

Allison offers him a hilariously embarrassed smile.

Diego breaks away, racing over to the haystack and turning the corner. He groans.

_"JESUS—! Klaus, get off him—"_

"Mind your business, Diego!" Klaus yelps. He's hauled into view with Diego's gloved fingers clutching his top. "Unless you wanna join…" Klaus purses his lips thoughtfully, eyeing Diego with mild approval. "We should add threesomes to the rules…"

"Not on your life," Diego retorts.

He puts Klaus into a headlock, walking him away. Luther comes to a dazed Ben, helping him up.

"Time to go!"

Five's voice echoes out.

They all leave.

Allison thinks of immediately finding Claire as soon as she's in the grass with the other members of the Umbrella Academy. Forming another circle but with Five and his suitcase. She thinks about having a normal, although hectic, life.

Feels too good to be true.

There's only one way to find out.

*


End file.
